Our centre is the only functional neonatal referral centre in the whole of Yobe State of Nigeria, providing for the need of 17 local government councils. Prior to our contact with Professor Hippolite in 2007, there was no single functional incubator in our centre. Therefore our special-care-baby-unit was only in a make-shift condition, without good success rate to show. We were, hence, quick to respond to the resolution of the Committee of Chief Executives of Federal Health Institutions (CCEFTHI) of Nigeria for individualised collaboration with Prof Hippolite’s research. Our then Medical Director was in attendance at the CCEFTHI conference in Benincity, where he met with and invited the Imperial College academic. Professor Hippolite has thus remained a visiting consultant to our SCBU since 2008.

We have been able to build one of the best neonatal centres in the northeast of Nigeria through his consultancy. Our functional incubator capacity grew to 16 by 2012, becoming the largest among the northern Nigerian centres. Our success rate greatly improved as most of the neonates that would come to us were successfully discharged.

Our neonatal mortality rate as at 2007 was higher than the national facility-based average of 254/1000 admissions. However, the recent facility outcome review of 2014 revealed that our neonatal mortality rate has fallen to 143/1000 admissions; 60/1000 without the class of D48 neonates (i.e. neonates that died within 48 hours of presentation). This success is all due to the procedures and technologies Professor Hippolite brought along with his consultancy at our centre.

We currently apply seven out of his nine validated neonatal applications. This includes amongst others:
(1) Localised research investigations as a way of improving our local practice and educating colleagues elsewhere. Our centre hosted the study that investigated neonatal evening fever syndrome (EFS) and developed the first EFS-resilient nursery for ameliorating neonatal hyperthermia due to EFS.

(2) We operate two  parallel sets of power-banking system, adequately supporting all our incubators to ensure uninterrupted power supply to these.

(3) All our incubator and most of our
cots are apnoea protected using the BM02 systems introduced by Professor Amadi